| |
Chick
Trick
 |
| Patel
and Mathias with their work |
Indian
art forms are so greatly respected in the West, it's time Indians paid
attention to them too," says Ritu Patel. Not one to mouth platitudes,
Patel, 32, and Seema Mathias, 28-who run Craftings, a company that aims
at preserving India's dying art forms-recently showcased adaptations of
the Chitrikam glasswork and Mutwa embroidery of Kutch at Mumbai's Cymroza
Art Gallery. So mirrorwork usually seen on mud-house walls in Gujarat
found their way on to quilts and trays, while Mutwa patterns were seen
on halter tops. The idea, says Mathias, is to "put these art forms
in the limelight in metros". Next stops: Bangalore, then Hyderabad.
Last stop: nowhere.
-Natasha
Israni
Routine
Matters
 |
| Daler
does his bhangra routine... |
Women gently
twirling their skirts and clicking sticks ... a common sight in Mumbai
during Navratri. But when Sankalp, the Parle Utkarsh Charitable Trust,
organised a Dandiya Raas programme in the city last week, they opted out
of the usual garba-only routine, opting for a bhangra add-on instead.
So after the mandatory garba numbers, Daler Mehndi (but of course) stormed
on stage and had the crowd dancing to Tunak tunak tun, Dar di rab rab
kar di and other Punjabi pop numbers. What was the badshah of bhangra
doing at an essentially Gujarati affair? Doing his bit to "introduce
something different from dandiya", explains Dinesh Kothari of Sankalp.
The crowd seemed to like the change. Taking a break from the vigorous
bhangra movements, dandiya regular Adesh Bajpai chirped: "Dandiya
has always been enjoyable but watching Daler was an added attraction."
Watching the crowd move was just as much fun.
-Himanshi
Dhawan
Heir
cut
Shambhu
Maharaj for a father. Birju Maharaj for a cousin. But "I don't care
much for gharanas," said Ram Mohan Maharaj after his second-ever
performance in Calcutta last week. The 40-year-old Kathak exponent's mission
is to infuse fresh blood into a centuries-old art form. In 1992, when
he visited Surinam, his multi-racial class wanted him to teach them steps
for Choli ke peechhe kya hai. That's when he realised, he recounts, that
Kathak has to keep pace with changing public tastes. At the Calcutta show,
he tried out some of it: variations in taal, and a melding of moves that
he has seen Birju Maharaj do with some that he remembers from his father.
"He's the best among the younger generation of male dancers,"
raves dancer and critic Amita Dutta. A fitting heir.
-Labonita
Ghosh
Wedding
Wear: Bridal Asia 2000, now in its second year, brought
together designers from the entire subcontinent presenting clothes for
the traditional bride. Outfits by India's Ritu Kumar (above), Manav Gangwani,
Azeem Khan, Ashima and Leena Singh, Bangladesh's Maheen Khan, Sehyr Saigol
of Pakistan and others took the ramp at Delhi's Parkroyal Hotel last week.
"The rest of the world is becoming so minimalist, you could probably
go to work in a formal outfit, then add a string of pearls for an evening
out," says Kumar. "India is probably the only place left where
you have events where you can dress up." It shows.
Pg.4
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putting off rolling settlement, SEBI has given punters on Dalal Street
a Diwali gift, says INDIA TODAY Associate Editor V. Shankar Aiyar in
